The market for NFL cornerbacks shot up considerably from 2024 to 2025. It shot up so much that it’s made it kind of hard to predict what the future might hold in terms of average annual salary — other than that dudes who can cover a WR1 will continue becoming very, very rich.
Take into account that before the 2024 season, Denver Broncos cornerback and reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II signed the biggest deal for a defensive back in NFL history with a 4-year, $96 million contract extension. Surtain’s deal included an annual average salary of $24 million.
In the 2025 offseason, 3 cornerbacks have signed $100 million contracts. Two of them passed the $30 million mark in terms of average annual salary with Houston Texans All-Pro Derek Stingley Jr. (3 years, $90 million). The cherry on top was New York Jets All-Pro Sauce Gardner (4 years, $120.4 million), who signed a deal that included $85.4 million in guaranteed money at $30.1 million per year.
What will that market for cornerbacks be like 2 years from now?
The Philadelphia Eagles are on the path to find out with second year cornerback Quinyon Mitchell. He’s already on track to become the NFL’s first $40 million per year cornerback when he’s up for his first contract extension in the spring of 2027.
Mitchell Lands in Top 10 of ESPN CB Rankings
Mitchell was a plug and play starter at outside cornerback for the Eagles as a rookie in 2024 after they selected him in the first round (No. 21 overall) out of Toledo in the 2024 NFL draft.
After helping lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl win, Mitchell landed at No. 9 on ESPN’s annual Top 10 position rankings — at 23 years old the youngest player to make the list.
“Mitchell was stellar in the predraft process in 2024 and continued that momentum throughout his rookie season,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote on July 17. ” … When a receiver catches a pass in Mitchell’s vicinity, he doesn’t go far. Mitchell allowed an average of 1.5 yards after catch as the nearest defender in coverage last season, the fewest by any player with at least 30 targets. The next closest was Surtain at 1.9. In three playoff games, Mitchell allowed seven yards after the catch on five receptions.”
Eagles Have ‘Building Block’ in Former Toledo Star
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton called Mitchell one of the NFL’s “foundational players” a franchise could build around.
The Eagles drafted cornerbacks with their first 2 picks in the 2024 draft with Mitchell and Iowa’s Cooper DeJean in the second round and watched them both become starters — and stars — as rookies.
“The Philadelphia Eagles have two promising second-year players in their secondary. Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean finished within the top four in Defensive Rookie of the Year votes,” Moton wrote on July 5. “As defensive coordinator Vic Fangio ponders a more versatile role for DeJean, who could see more snaps at safety in the upcoming term, Mitchell is locked into a starting role at a premium position.”
The Eagles could be headed toward handing out 2 of the biggest contracts for defensive players in NFL history in the next 2 years.
NFL All-Pro defensive tackle Jalen Carter is up for an extension in 2026 that could top the 4-year, $160 million contract signed by Cleveland Browns edge rusher and 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett in March.
